The Contract
by Takara Solverne
Summary: Post-OoT/Pre-MC crossover. Vaati offers to help rebuild Hyrule if Zelda will accept him as her King…and into her bed. Vaati appears to have reformed, but can Zelda trust him? Vaati/Zelda
1. I'd be surprisingly good for you

Author's note: I will be blunt. This fanfic is porn disguised as a character study disguised as a story with actual plot. Because I am apparently unable to write porn without plot, though I tried so very hard. If you have any aversions to explicit sexual content, I advise against reading this.

Disclaimer: I got nothin'. The Legend of Zelda and its characters are the property of Nintendo and its affiliates. Free porn, man, free porn.

I stole _Twilight Princess_ characters and used them in place of OCs. This cross-over is still strictly between Ocarina of Time and Minish Cap. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy…

**The Contract**

**Chapter 1: The Proposal  
**

By Takara Solverne

The Princess Zelda was going over the plans for new houses with the architects and masons when three of the Royal Guard entered and knelt.

"You may rise," said Zelda, turning away from the sketches. "Greetings, Ashei. Have you found him?"

"Yes, your Highness. We were finally able to confront the sorcerer Vaati," said the Captain Ashei with a bow.

"There were no deaths? Good. Did he reveal his intentions?"

"We don't know yet."

Zelda blinked. "What do you mean?"

The Captain removed an envelope from her pouch and handed it to the princess. "He said it was for your eyes only."

Zelda took it and turned it over. The envelope was sealed with bright violet wax and a signet was stamped onto it. Zelda peered closely at it. It looked like an eye.

She broke the seal and opened the letter. Her eyebrows rose as she read the short message and then looked up, confused.

"Your Highness?" asked the Captain anxiously.

"He wants me to meet him," said Zelda slowly. "Tomorrow morning. Tenth hour. In the Temple of Time. No escorts or attendants, just myself."

Ashei snorted. "Has he never set a trap before in his life? An assassination attempt is going to require a little more effort than that!"

The princess's eyes kept scanning the few lines of the message. "I'm going," she said softly.

Everyone in the room stared at her.

"I beg your pardon, your Highness, but this is clearly an attempt on your life. It isn't safe!"

The princess folded the letter back up. "Vaati has been attacking Hyrule Castle Town for four months now. And when he's not here, he is unleashing small hurricanes upon Kakariko Village, the Zora Kingdom, or the Gerudo Valley. You yourself said that his attacks are never forcible enough to conquer anything, but large enough to establish their owner as a threat. If speaking to me is his goal, then refusing him may result in more homes being blown away or collapsing. I have a responsibility not just to my own people but to our allies to ensure peace for all."

"I don't think just talking to you is what he has in mind for this meeting," said Ashei skeptically.

"It's a possibility," agreed Zelda, placing the letter on the table. "But he's never stayed long enough at the scenes of his crimes for us to find out even an inkling of his motives. If this is a chance that I can find out what he wants, I'll take it."

"And after that, we'll capture him, eh?" smirked Ashei.

"No," answered Zelda, ignoring Ashei's outraged protests. "He has offered a promise not to harm nor capture me that will only hold if I promise the same."

"And we're going to trust his _word?_ He's harmed innocent people; his honor is meaningless!"

"No one," said Zelda simply, looking Ashei straight in the eye, "trusts his word."

Ashei blinked, then grinned. "How many of my Guard will you need, then?"

"At least ten. I will also find mages who will find ways to stay inside the Temple with me and will alert you and your men should trouble arise."

"Good," answered Ashei. "I'm glad we'll be there; I've never trusted sorcerers. I'll take a good, physical fight any day. No offense to your Highness," she added hastily.

Zelda smiled. "Everyone has their preferences. But remember that combat magic, though it looks and functions differently from swords and shields, is still just a tool. It's the imagination and skill of the mage that make it as powerful or as weak as it may be."

She turned to the builders. "I am sorry to cut our discussion short, but I must prepare for the meeting. Once you have made your decisions about the issues we talked about today, we will convene as soon as possible so those homes will be rebuilt."

She turned back to Ashei. "Captain, please select ten of the Royal Guard to accompany us to the Temple of Time."

"Yes your Highness," Ashei bowed.

"Then you are dismissed. I will see you tomorrow at the ninth hour of morning."

As everyone filed out of the room, Zelda walked over to the window and stared down towards her kingdom. It had taken the best of two years to rebuild Hyrule Castle Town and the palace. The only way reconstruction had gone so quickly was through the power of the Triforce of Wisdom and the help of all the peoples of Hyrule, who had generously and enthusiastically restored much of the ghost town to the original, lively place it had once been. The palace had taken a little longer, but the Gorons helped cool the remaining lava and the Kokiri nurtured the ground and soon, the area was lush once again. With stones the Gorons brought, water the Zoras had purified, and manpower supplied by the Hylians, Gerudos, and humans, the castle rose up as smoothly as a tidal wave over the shore. Now she could watch over her people from her towers once again.

However, although outwardly the Hylian towns appeared to be restored, her kingdom was far from complete restoration. Most supplies, from livestock to weapons, were worryingly deficient. As more and more people returned to the towns, skills were taught and people recruited for labor, but never quickly enough it seemed. This made Vaati's attacks doubly frightening; if (or when) he succeeded in attacking key points of the Hylia, it would not be hard for him to take over the rest.

There was one bright side to all this. While Princess Zelda spent time establishing guilds, helping the laborers rebuild and the merchants organize their businesses, she saw how the reconstruction process had begun to bind all the Hyrulian races together as never before. Zelda clenched her slender hands into fists. After all of everyone's hard work to restore Hyrule, she was _not_ going to let some wind mage destroy it all. Not now, not ever.

Vaati had better be prepared for this. Anyone who wanted to be her enemy was going to have work for it.

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Despite the anxiety and curiosity surrounding this particular visit to the Temple of Time, Zelda couldn't help feeling melancholic once she stepped within its stone walls. Although the Door of Time was closed and the Spiritual Stones were in hiding, the Master Sword still lay in the chamber at the far end of the temple.

It would always remind her of him.

Two years didn't erase all the scars left behind.

She took a deep breath to compose herself. She couldn't think of Link right now. She spotted a figure in a deep violet cloak facing the empty altar. He turned around and her breath caught.

She had never before seen someone so…

Purple.

His skin was the palest shade of lavender she had ever seen, making his face and hands seem ghostly. His long hair was the color of the periwinkle flowers she had in her garden. He wore a purple long-sleeve tunic and his pants and sandals were mercifully red.

Her eyes widened when she saw his cap. It looked just like Link's (she felt her heart pang) except it was, yes, purple and a gleaming red jewel was set in the front of it. A fall of periwinkle hair covered his right eye.

"Princess Zelda of Hyrule," said the sorcerer, sweeping an elaborate bow that managed to convey the opposite of respect. "I am so very pleased that you have joined me here today."

"Sorcerer Vaati," acknowledged Zelda, inclining her head. "For what have you called me here to discuss?"

"Straight to the point, aren't we?" the sorcerer smirked. He raised a hand and pointed to fingers at her. Zelda braced herself, expecting a blow of magic to come shooting out, but instead, an elegant chair appeared behind her, and zoomed forward, knocking her into it. The chair carried its cargo up to the altar and Zelda found herself looking up at Vaati.

"Comfortable?" he grinned.

"You could have just offered me a seat," said Zelda coldly. She began to stand back up, but what felt like to giant invisible hands pushed her back into the chair.

"It's really better if you sit," Vaati said, taking a seat on the altar himself. "We do have a lot to talk about."

"Such as why you've attacked almost all of the realms of Hyrule for no apparent reason?"

Vaati raised one elegant eyebrow. "My, we're quick to accuse."

Zelda raised an eyebrow right back. "Do you deny it?"

Vaati shrugged and grinned. Zelda glared and then went on.

"You didn't try to seize control of any area you have attacked so far and, from what we can see, nothing was looted, no one was kidnapped, and there was no harm inflicted on any of the natural processes. What in the world are you after?"

"Maybe I just want to have a bit of fun," answered Vaati, idly drawing a small swirl of magic in the air.

Zelda eyes flashed and she began to stand up, but the same invisible force pushed her back into her seat again.

"Relax, Princess," said Vaati, the smile beginning to drain out of his voice. "I was only joking. If you'd like the plain and simple truth"—the magic swirl vanished and his expression became completely serious—"what I'm after is you."

"Are you proposing a duel, then?" inquired Zelda.

"No. Although what I'd like to propose for the moment is that you send your mages out of this room so that we may speak privately."

Zelda couldn't help showing her surprise. Her own magic was shielding her mages from view and no other magic-user had ever seen through it before.

"How do I know you won't attack or kidnap me the moment they leave?" she asked sharply.

Vaati shrugged. "You don't, really. Guess you'll just have to trust that out of your four mages within these walls and the eleven guards you have outside, you are the only person that even has a chance at giving me a decent fight."

His arrogance rankled, but Zelda was an extremely perceptive person and something about his demeanor told her that he was telling the truth, about both his abilities and his promise not to hurt her. She decided to risk it.

"All right everyone," she said clearly, standing and turning around. "Join the Royal Guard outside. When I need you to return, I'll send you the signal."

One of the mages stepped outside of her invisibility circle. "Are you sure, your Highness?" she asked softly, her huge eyes dark with worry.

Zelda sent her a small smile. "Yes, Agitha. Now please go."

Agitha nodded and she closed her eyes. Her fingers rapidly shaped themselves in arcane positions, and then she and the other three mages vanished.

Zelda watched her go, and then began to turn around. "There. They're gone now, so—eep!" she squeaked. Vaati had moved so close that she found their bodies nearly touching. From her angle, she could see all of his face, and like a mouse entranced by a cobra, she couldn't stop staring into his eyes. They were the vivid red of rubies and Zelda felt herself being pulled into them. Long, pale fingers gently touched her cheek and she gasped.

"You are so beautiful," he murmured. The tips of his nails gently ran down the curve of her face, leaving unusually strong tingling feelings in their wake. Zelda, for all of her poise, couldn't help blushing as she averted her eyes. Vaati chuckled. "And so charming as well."

Zelda tried to take deep breaths discreetly, which is extremely tricky to do at the best of times. _What's wrong with me?_ She wondered. One touch and she wibbled from regal princess to shy little girl?

Vaati stepped back and Zelda was bewildered by a faint sense of emptiness that ensued. He reached out and took one of her slim hands in both of his. His skin was cool, though whether because of the atmosphere of the temple or his circulation, Zelda didn't know.

Vaati inclined his head and said formally, "What I have brought you here today to ask you is," to Zelda's shock, he knelt, "if you would do me the honor of giving me your hand in marriage."

Zelda stared at him. There was no trace of a smirk on Vaati's face, nor the sarcasm from before. If anything, there looked like a glint of _hope_ in his eyes. Could he possibly be serious?

"No!" she exclaimed, trying to pull her hand out of his. Vaati wouldn't let her go and she raised a ball of pink energy in her hand. Before she could strike, Vaati swiftly rose to his feet and the same force that was pushing her into the chair earlier encircled each of her wrists and brought them together behind her back. Zelda desperately tried to break them with her magic, but to her horror, the shackles didn't budge.

"Agreement, Princess," said Vaati, casually leaning against the altar. "I won't attack you if you won't attack me."

Zelda glared, but her magic flickered out and a few seconds later, the shackles vanished. Zelda found herself shaken, not just by the strength of Vaati's magic, but the way she had felt powerless when she looked into the sorcerer's eyes.

Vaati frowned. "I hardly see what the problem was, anyway," he said, sounding slightly miffed. "A marriage proposal hardly constitutes a threat."

"Why?" Zelda demanded, trying to regain her composure. "Why should I marry a sorcerer I don't even know, who's been wreaking havoc on my people, who's—"

"Have I ever killed any of your people?" Vaati interrupted.

"What? No. No deaths have been reported to me."

"Have I ever killed any of the people from the places I have attacked?" Vaati asked, staring her straight in the eye.

"Well…no. But people have been injured and crops have been overturned! Just yesterday I was trying to repair the damage _you_ caused to some of our houses!"

"No coup d'état is without its sacrifices," Vaati murmured. "But as you can see, my intention is not to deal any lasting damage to your people. I have no wish to oppress them either."

"Coup d'état—" Zelda yelled, but Vaati cut her off again.

"_Yes,_ Princess, I admit it." Vaati spread his hands out. "I was trying to seize control of this country. I—"

It was Zelda's turn to interrupt. "You couldn't have tried this while Ganondorf was tyrannizing it?" she demanded bitterly.

"Ganondorf had possession of the Triforce of Power and was using it to his utmost advantage," Vaati shrugged. "The only ones who could have possibly opposed him would have to hold pieces of the Triforce themselves, namely you and the Hero of Time. And even if I did have the power to challenge him, there was enough turmoil among my own people to sufficiently occupy me."

"Your people?" For the first time, Zelda focused on Vaati's ears. Perhaps it was because she was used to seeing them among her own subjects, or because she was distracted by his unusual coloring, but his pointed Hylian ears had escaped her notice.

"Yes…What?" asked Vaati, seeing her gazing at him.

"Nothing, I just assumed you were a foreigner of some sort. Are you part Zora?"

Vaati sputtered, the most amusing sight Zelda had seen all day by far. "No! I'm not! I'm—I'm a Hylian!"

"There's nothing wrong with Zoras! But since you're not, shouldn't you be referring to your people as 'our people'?" Zelda asked with narrowed eyes.

Vaati flipped his long hair over his shoulder. "Fine. I apologize," he said with a touch of exasperation. "Now could we kindly return to my proposal?"

"I am sorry, I was not under the impression that we have anything more to discuss," answered Zelda coldly.

"Are you quite certain?" asked Vaati with a scintillating smile as he sat back on the altar. He continued to smile unyieldingly at her until the princess grudgingly sat down as well.

"So then. Tell me, Princess Zelda," Vaati said smoothly, leaning forward and resting his chin on his long-fingered hand. "Who has been courting you of late? Surely some dashing young princes or dignified, well-bred noblemen have been battling to the death over your fair hand?"

"I would appreciate your refraining from jokes in bad taste," said Zelda stiffly. Vaati sat back, chuckling.

"Sorry, sorry! Didn't mean to offend. But am I correct?" he asked, his bright red eyes snapping open and staring straight at hers. "No suitors?"

"The occasion to accept callers is a leisure reserved for those who are not in the process of reviving a country," Zelda said sharply.

"Of course. You have not had the time," Vaati said silkily. "And yet, your potential lovers should have. A princess struggling to restore her nation? What a perfect opportunity for a gentleman to sweep in and offer his expertise if he is a noble, resources if he is a prince, and certainly his comfort and support if he is either. And yet none?"

Zelda sat in stony silence. Vaati leaned forward again and spoke with an almost-vicious bluntness. "That is because every nation within reasonable distance of Hyrule is ruled by a king who is either married or about to be. As for Hyrule, the gentry? They are dead, or turned into Stalfos. The Gerudos? Their king is imprisoned, their regent is a woman and from what I've heard, women hold no special charm for you. The Gorons? Their King is married with an heir far too young for you. The Zora? Their ruler is a princess like yourself. The Kokiri? Their ruler is a tree."

He let that last statement hang. Then, after carelessly flicking a strand of lavender hair over his shoulder, he grinned widely at her. "A sprout, to be precise."

"And what," Zelda asked dryly. "Are _you_ offering me? Expertise? Resources? Go on."

"Power," answered Vaati simply, spreading his hands out. "Unlimited magical power."

"Oh really?" Princess Zelda didn't bother hiding her skepticism.

"Yes. Really."

"And how, Sorcerer Vaati, did you come by this magical power? Pardon me, this _unlimited_ magical power?"

"I learned it," answered Vaati evasively. "From a teacher. A long time ago." He was quiet, and for a second, Zelda saw through his self-satisfied façade and beheld a person who suddenly looked very young, very vulnerable, and very…lonely?

_Did his teacher pass away?_ Zelda wondered. She was about to ask when Vaati shook himself and the façade reappeared.

"I promise you, Princess Zelda," he said quietly. "All those attacks on Hyrule? They could have been much, much worse. However, I wanted to analyze the defenses of my future nation before I began my takeover. My first few attacks were to test the armies of each domain and find out the recovery time of each. All were weak, but better than yours."

He raised a hand to silence Zelda, who was about to defend her people's progress. "I know you are still performing restoration. But after watching your people struggle to rebuild after I attacked, I realized that I didn't want supreme power over all of Hyrule. I just wanted to rule my own people, the Hylians, and lead them on the path to prosperity. And the more I watch you," he got up from the altar and knelt in front of her again, "the more I believe our goals are one."

He stared up at her, his single visible ruby eye earnest. "Power, Princess Zelda. Together you and I can combine our strengths and Hyrule will be the thriving country it was. With your wisdom and my power."

"Power," said Zelda in a low voice, "was Ganondorf's chosen ideal, and he led my country to ruin. Is that truly what you have to offer me?"

"Well that, and of course my," Vaati licked his lips, "comfort."

Zelda turned her head away in disgust. Vaati brushed his lips against the back of her hand and coaxed, "Come now, is power such a vice? You wield a great deal of it yourself, you know."

Zelda reluctantly turned back to him. He rested his cheek on her hand and gazed up at her.

"Only those willing to live for a country should rule it," Zelda said quietly. "This is the price of true power. Those who seek it only to gain for themselves will only lose it, and will harm others in the process."

"I solely seek to serve the people," declared Vaati solemnly. "And, of course, you, my Princess Zelda."

Zelda slowly reached out and brushed his bangs to one side so she could see both of his beautiful eyes. When in doubt, always look into the eyes. Her mother had passed on that advice as well as her gift of seeing the truth of people's hearts. What she saw in the eyes of the sorcerer made her pause. Words were cheap, and Zelda distrusted Vaati's, but she could see something in him that rang true with his words. He didn't want to hurt the people and he did mean to restore Hyrule. And (she was startled) he did truly want to marry her.

Zelda looked down at her hand in his. Link was gone. There was no pretending that he would ride back one day when she was the one who had sent him to regain his sorely-missed lost years. Vaati was depressingly correct; although the nobles would soon rise as Hyrule became stronger, it was doubtful she would find an eligible noble in time to aid her in making Hyrule strong. All of the other royal families would help her as much as they could, but having a powerful consort who solely focused on Hyrule would help the kingdom much more. There was also no doubt that Vaati possessed formidable power, and if he could either harness it to help her country or teach his spells to other mages to aid in reconstruction, he was indeed a potential consort.

But she didn't know him at all.

She raised her gaze to Vaati's eager face. "Would your desire to help Hyrule not be just as well-served by aiding me as a court mage?"

"You, my beautiful flower, will either get all of me," Vaati smiled dazzingly, then stopped, "or none of me."

Zelda glared. "What happened to wanting to help Hyrule?"

"Things would go much more quickly and smoothly if I were in command."

"But you could still help if you were my mage!"

"You seem to forget," Vaati said sweetly, "that my main goal is to preside over Hyrule. This was _going_ to be accomplished by infiltrating your strongholds and demolishing them all at once." He paused meaningfully. "However, I decided a more productive route would be marriage. I wouldn't mind sharing power if a wise and lovely lady such as yourself was by my side as my queen."

"And so you could claim the title of royalty through marriage," said Zelda dryly.

Vaati shrugged happily. "It's a perk."

"If we marry, how do I know you won't try to kill me afterward?"

Vaati looked affronted, but then relaxed. "I suppose you have a right to be suspicious. Know this, then. I never dispose of a powerful ally, and if we marry, you will certainly be that. And where else would I find a woman as beautiful as you?" He smiled playfully at her, and then his expression became serious again. "Now Princess, it's time to choose. Will you refuse me and prepare your already strained people for war or will you gain me and my magic in your quest to rebuild your kingdom?"

Zelda stared at him and Vaati stared straight back. This was blackmail. No. This was no different than any other person with plans for a coup d'état. And really, Vaati was more honest about his intentions than most other monarchs or noblemen would be about their plan of seizing Hyrule.

She could say no. She could do it, and as Vaati accurately described it, prepare her already struggling people to be attacked by the strongest sorcerer she had ever seen. That was not an option, not while her people were so lacking in defenses. And the closer she got to him, the more she could get a better sense of his intentions. If they were destructive, she could begin to prepare against them. If they were good, then as Vaati had said of her, he could be a powerful ally.

Zelda closed her eyes and took a deep breath to gather her courage. When she opened them again, Vaati's mouth was quirking up triumphantly. She repressed the urge to smack that smirk off of his face.

"I accept," she said in a low voice. Vaati's eyes lit up and his pale lips began to stretch in a full-fledged smile before she cut it off sharply, "on two conditions."

Vaati raised an eyebrow, but decided to humor her. "Name them."

"When we get married, we rule jointly. If we cannot agree on a matter, we release it to either the Hylian council or the Hyrulean council, depending on the issue. But we cannot overrule one another without the support of the councils."

Vaati smiled appreciatively. "A lady on top. This sounds promising."

Zelda paused, for her formidable clairvoyant powers sensed a hidden meaning under his words. She raised an eyebrow and Vaati became the picture of innocence. "Agreed, Princess."

"…all right, then. Because marriage is a binding and permanent contract, I require a period of engagement lasting no less than two years to observe your commitment to the Hylian Kingdom."

"Two _years?_" For the first time, Vaati looked stunned. Then he narrowed his eyes. "Tell me, Princess," he said dangerously. "Do you plan to marry me at _all?_"

"I find the period perfectly reasonable," answered Zelda winsomely.

"Well, I don't," snapped Vaati. "We marry tonight."

"_Tonight?!_ You're crazy!"

"No more crazy than waiting for two whole years!"

"A year and a half then."

"A month."

"A year."

"Six months."

"Nine months."

"Six months or I attack the Hylia tonight."

"Done," Zelda yielded grudgingly. Vaati laughed delightedly and for a moment, his red eyes became cold and malicious. Zelda sucked her breath in and was about to pull back, but Vaati swiftly rose to his feet and took hold of her shoulders. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand and leaned down to kiss her. Thinking fast, Zelda swerved her head to avoid his lips and wrapped her arms around him, pretending she wanted a hug instead. Vaati went stiff, and then his arms tentatively began to wrap around her as well, as though he was not quite sure how to return an embrace.

After a few awkward moments, they broke apart. Zelda immediately began walking towards the doorway of the Temple of Time. Suddenly, she stopped and looked over her shoulder. "And one more thing."

"Yes?"

"Don't call me 'beautiful flower.' Ever. Again."

"Duly noted, Princess."

As Zelda exited the Temple of Time, she didn't see the gale that enveloped the sorcerer, nor the evil smile on his pale face just before he vanished.

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Reviews? Yes please! ;)


	2. Can't take my eyes off of you

Author's note: Hi everyone and thanks for the reviews! =D I hope you stick with me as I try to update at least somewhat regularly, and continue to enjoy this!

I could see I was going to get bored with "Chapter #", so chapters are now titled.

Warnings: Voyeurism and masturbation. This fic is rated NC-17, so if this is not your thing, turn back now. If you are not 17 yet and insist on playing in the grown-up's sandbox, then make sure you're slick about it.

**The Contract**

**Chapter 2: Can't take my eyes off of you**

By Takara Solverne

_A year ago…_

The marketplace was full of Hylians, their strange clothes, strange ears, strange voices. Although Vaati had become used to the new proportions of this world, he still had moments where he found himself comparing how tall he really was to a Hylian child, and then sighing.

Vaati pulled the hood of his cloak further over his face. He was lucky the air was becoming more and more nippy. Although he had gotten the occasional strange look, no one had pulled him aside yelling "Thief! Runaway!" yet, and he hoped it would stay that way. He saw a potions shop and began to head towards it. He doubted there was nothing there that would be greater than what he could concoct himself, but dissecting them might be informative.

Suddenly, whispers of "Princess Zelda" began to ripple through the crowd. The long tip of his new ear perked up. He had heard about the ruler of the Hylians, but he hadn't seen a hair of her since his arrival two months ago. A sizeable crowd of people converged around an embarrassed young woman who was talking to one of the merchants of a simple bread stall.

Vaati whispered a few words under his breath and members of the crowd found themselves with a sudden need to take a step to the right or left, parting the way for the cloaked young man. He stopped behind a couple of people and raised his face slightly, hoping she wouldn't notice his unusual skin against the darkness of his cloak.

Luckily, several people were more than eager to claim the princess's attention and he could gaze at her without difficulty. Her skin was as fair as his, but without the lavender hue. He wondered if her paleness meant that she stayed indoors a lot as well. Her hair was a gentle, butter yellow and looked invitingly soft. When her crystal blue eyes glanced over at some people in his direction and smiled, Vaati felt his throat constrict. She was beautiful.

She walked over to say hello to some people next to him, one of which was a red-haired girl and her rotund, sleepy-eyed father. Vaati swiftly retreated backwards into the crowd, his void filled by subjects eager to greet their future queen.

Future queen…someday, she'd have to select a king. As Vaati hurried away, he began to wonder who she was going to marry…and if a stranger like him could ever dare to hope.

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_Present Day…_

The Gerudo had come into town with clothes, spices, and eager single women in tow, making for a very crowded marketplace. A tiny green-haired girl, clutching a couple of scrolls nearly as big as she was, managed to squeeze in between a couple of arguing brothers and approach her friend.

"Zelda! There you are. Where's Vaati? I have the new plans for the orchard and I can't find him anywhere!"

"Hi Saria. I don't know either, hold on for a second." Zelda closed her eyes. _Vaati_. _Vaati, where are you?_

A few seconds later, the sorcerer's voice rang in her mind. _What is it?_

_Saria has the new plans for the southwest orchard. She needs to see you._

_Tell her to meet me by the Temple of Time._

_What are you doing over—_Zelda began, but then she felt their telepathic connection snap, and she sighed.

"He said to meet him by the Temple of Time."

Saria looked confused. "What's he doing over there?"

"Nayru knows. But if he's not working, feel free to tell him I plan on beating him senseless."

"Ok," said Saria cheerfully, wrapping both arms more firmly around the scrolls and trotting off. Zelda watched her go, wishing she could follow and beat the wind mage up anyway. Ever since she had formally announced her new fiancé to the kingdom, he had subtly but intentionally withdrawn from her company. For the next four months, whenever she needed to speak to him, he had answered briefly, and whenever they found themselves accidentally alone together, he made some excuse before vanishing.

Zelda couldn't help being curious about the reasons for his avoidance. His actions were a blatant contradiction to the desire he had shown towards her in the Temple of Time. While she couldn't deem this as an unwelcome turn of events, part of her was irritated that he had put up such a façade to obtain her hand in marriage. It implied that he thought her vain or a simpleton.

"Princess Zelda." A tall, gorgeous swarthy woman with flaming red hair stood behind her, flanked by violet-clad bodyguards.

"Regent Nabooru," said Zelda with obvious pleasure. "It's wonderful to see you again!"

"You as well," said Nabooru, inclining her head. "I spoke with the wind mage."

Zelda hid her wince. Nabooru of the Gerudo couldn't believe she chose to ally herself in the most intimate way possible with a vagabond sorcerer and therefore refused to refer to him as anything but "the wind mage". It was also no secret that she regarded the whole engagment as a very bad joke she vehemently hoped would not come to pass and, for Zelda's sake, was currently "humoring his authority."

"He will not allow workers to go rebuild some of the Gerudo buildings that he has destroyed."

Zelda frowned. While she and Vaati did require workers here in Castle Town, they needn't be stingy. They could afford to send a small group, and supplies if necessary.

"Did he say why?"

"No, he just refused me and disappeared," said Nabooru blandly.

Zelda exhaled sharply. Could he get any more rude? And this wasn't the first time she'd have to go make up for his lack of communication.

"I'm going to find him right now," she declared.

"I'll walk you there," Nabooru said. She shook her head at her bodyguards and they immediately departed into the marketplace. She turned back to Zelda with a little smile. "They've been working all day; I should give them a break. Plus, you're more than enough bodyguard for me."

Zelda rolled her eyes, but was flattered. Ever since Nabooru had found out that Sheik was actually the Princess of Hyrule, she gave Zelda a respect few in this life would ever earn from her.

"I won't follow you in, though," Nabooru said as they began walking. Zelda looked at her in surprise. Nabooru shrugged. "If he didn't tell me his reasons, they may be just between you and him."

Zelda frowned. "He and I don't have secrets. At all," she couldn't help adding.

"Regardless, discussions within a ruling party are best kept within that ruling party," said Nabooru darkly. Her statement smacked of prior experience and as tempted as Zelda was to ask for details, something about the set of Nabooru's jaw restrained her. In general, Nabooru didn't mind talking about Ganondorf, and she minded even less when she felt Zelda could learn from her experiences under Ganondorf's reign, but asking her about a man she hated when she had just been snubbed by a man Zelda had chosen to marry didn't strike Zelda as a particularly safe thing to do.

"I was wondering," said Nabooru slowly.

"Yes?"

"Have you considered…have you noticed that…Vaati might…" She stopped.

Zelda blinked. Nabooru usually spoke her mind without reservation. "Yes?"

"Be…interested in men?"

"Interested? Oh," Zelda's eyes widened. "OH. Interested."

Nabooru nodded gravely.

"I guess it's possible," said Zelda slowly. "Although we've never discussed it. All Vaati talks to me about is reconstruction or royal duties."

"Has he shown any interest in women?" Nabooru pressed.

"No, but I've never seen him express any in men, either."

"True. He could be hiding it, but that begs the question of why he'd stop showing affection to you, his royal fiancée. It would earn him credit with your kingdom."

Zelda shrugged and smiled. "I can't say I'm complaining. If he never has any romantic interest in me, hopefully he won't expect any intimacy out of his queen."

"No sex? Would you want that?" Nabooru asked in surprise.

"What I want I can't have anymore," said Zelda quietly. "And as for Vaati's disinterest, well, there are worse fates."

They arrived at the Temple of Time just as Saria was leaving it. The little Kokiri trotted over to them. "Hi Nabooru. Zelda, he said there were too few trees, but even if all the Kokiri work on them, I don't know if we can grow more by the time he wants them."

"I'll speak to him," promised Zelda. To be honest, she knew that a larger harvest would be better this year and she had a feeling that Vaati already had a plan. Vaati had an infuriating habit that consisted of pushing for an overtaxing course of action, listening to several people complain, and then whipping out some ability or spell that no one knew he had until then and acting like the solution had been obvious all along.

"OK. See you later then," Saria said with a bright smile. Her fairy flew a loop before trailing after the green-haired girl.

"Good luck," Nabooru saluted Zelda.

"I'll need it," Zelda saluted back. Nabooru did not refute this and headed back towards Castle Town Market.

Zelda entered the Temple of Time…and it was completely empty. Zelda's right hand twitched. To be fair to Vaati, he hadn't known that she was coming, but his habit of secluding himself when people actually needed him was tremendously irritating. Didn't he know that a king had to interact with his people at some point?

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. If she tried to communicate with him telepathically while she was agitated, the message wouldn't be clear. She let her energy center itself and began, _Vaati—_

"Right here," came the sorcerer's voice from directly behind her. Zelda jumped.

"Vaati!" she gasped, turning to face him. "Don't do that!"

Vaati smiled briefly, more of a social gesture than an expression of feeling. "Do what?"

"Sneak up on me."

Vaati's smile twisted into a smirk. Zelda tried not to glower. The fact that he had managed to hide himself with his magic so perfectly from her was no small feat and they both knew it.

"I wasn't planning to, but I was surprised by your entrance." The violet-clad man walked around her and gestured for her to follow him further into the temple. "You rarely come here."

"There are a lot of places I rarely go into," Zelda said warily. Vaati continued to walk up the steps towards the chamber of the Master Sword, but she stopped firmly in front of the Spiritual Stones. "Where are you going?"

"There's something I want to show you," Vaati waved his hand without turning around. "Come here."

"There's nothing there I haven't already seen," said Zelda shortly. Vaati stopped walking and looked at her curiously. When she made it clear that she wasn't moving, he went back down and leaned forward to study her expression.

"And why," he said in a voice like spider's silk, "would the Master Sword make the Princess of Hyrule so uncomfortable? Memories?"

Zelda shrugged, not looking at him. Vaati leaned forward a bit more. "Of a person perhaps? A man?"

"And what if it was?" Zelda said edgily.

Vaati shrugged. "I didn't know you and the Hero of Time were romantically involved."

"We weren't," Zelda said before she could stop herself. "Not technically."

"But you would have liked to have been," Vaati prompted.

This was too much. Zelda turned away, the hem of her dress rippling. "Saria said the Kokiri can't grow enough trees by your deadline. Either explain yourself to her or compose a new plan. Good day."

She began to walk away, but Vaati reached out and caught her by the forearm. It was the first time he had physically touched her in four months and Zelda was too stunned to shake him off.

"It's no great crime for you to love someone," Vaati said softly. "I just want to know the truth."

"The truth," Zelda scoffed. "Since when did you deserve the truth?"

"Since you agreed to be my wife."

"This is a marriage of convenience," said Zelda, trying to dislodge his arm. "Not of the heart. I will be your queen, but my personal affairs are my own. And anyway," she added sharply, "you have told me nothing of your life whenever _I_ have asked. Why gives you the right to know mine?"

Vaati's disconcertingly red eyes stared at her for a moment and then he let go of her arm. "Your feelings for him are no secret, Princess."

There was a trace of bitterness or anger or spite in his voice, but before Zelda could stare him in the eyes, Vaati administered his usual sarcastic bow and then wind whipped around him, blurring the edges of his form until he vanished altogether.

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The mysterious place Vaati usually vanished to would not earn him favor with the Hylian Princess. In fact, it would kind of piss her off. And creep her out.

He shut her underwear drawer and stood up, shoving a pair of silky lavender panties into a pocket in his tunic. The mirror of her dressing table reflected his skin, cold and pale, and his mouth twisted in annoyance. He couldn't steal many more of her panties without risking her taking action, and there was never anything incriminating hidden among the silk and lace. Didn't all great minds hide their secret notebooks or trinkets in their underwear drawer? Deceptive wench.

He walked over to his usual armchair by the window and sat down. Zelda's room was now as familiar to him as his own. He had explored her closets, opened her desk, and lingered over her jewelry. He had seen her small strange bedtime rituals, such as drawing a strange shape in the air with her finger and applying perfume. The princess didn't know her outfits were rarely a surprise, her notes for reconstruction had already been read, and her bed sometimes held someone other than herself. Of course, Vaati was never stupid enough to sleep there. If she found him, she could very well twist his intrusion into grounds for breaking off their engagement and he couldn't have that.

Vaati raised a finger and opened a drawer of one of the bureaus and levitated a long, indigo leather box over to himself. When he first opened the drawer, he had found an array of large satin boxes in pastel shades. Wondering how much jewelry a woman, even if she was a princess, could possibly own, he opened them and was surprised at the random things inside. One box held every nut and seed native to Hyrule and another held a collection of seashells, though they were many miles from any sea.

What intrigued him most was the box he currently held in his hands. Under the lid, an assortment of ceremonial daggers rested on blue velvet. Hyrule had no rituals that involved daggers and from what Vaati had seen, the princess had never used them. He wondered briefly if she planned to slay him with them on their wedding night, then snuffed the thought. Such melodrama. All of her private notes and calculations included his help in their final cost or plans, so it wasn't he who would feel these blades anytime soon. They were probably some heirloom from her deceased father.

He carefully put the box back in the drawer and closed it slowly. Something he would have liked to see more than anything was some sort of clue to her and the Hero of Time's relationship. Every sage seemed to know about the mysterious bond between her and this Link person. From what he understood, Link had been sent back in time and was no longer present in Hyrule. Although he was viciously happy about this, part of him couldn't help wanting to know more about the kind of man Zelda was attracted to.

But she had no keepsakes of him, at least, none that he could identify. Vaati tossed himself on her rumpled bed. The princess had risen late that day and she wasn't the type to call a servant back in to make a bed she was going to return to soon enough. He rolled over and inhaled her scent, sweet and light.

Suddenly, the door began to open, and, like lightning, Vaati went invisible. The owner of the room entered, a fawn-colored cloak dangling from one arm. She unhooked the gold armor from her shoulders and stripped off her long gloves before collapsing into the chair in front of her desk. All of the poise she controlled so effortlessly was gone and Vaati found himself staring at a very tired young woman. There was a weariness in her delicate features Vaati had only ever seen in his elders and it startled him. How had one girl grown so old?

Zelda rose gingerly from her seat and Vaati tensed. If she was coming to the bed, he would have to leave, and he wasn't sure he could teleport to another part of the room without making noise when he rematerialized. Fortunately, the princess was not coming to the bed. She was not coming to the bed at all…

Vaati's eyes were at their widest as jewelry, a silky pink gown, and underwear landed in a pile right near his feet and the princess of Hyrule stretched her lithe, utterly nude body. Frozen in place, he drank in the slope of her back, the length of her legs, and the lush curve of her rear. His shaft hardened rapidly against his thigh and his hand gripped the sheet. This had to be the worst, most inconvenient place ever to get a hard-on…

Or the very best.

Vaati stealthily undid the tie of his pants and pulled his cock out just as the princess turned and walked towards the closet, revealing a pair of full breasts, a soft, smooth tummy, and a dainty slit that sent a jolt to his already-eager organ. He whispered a spell almost noiselessly and his fingers became covered in lubricant and his movements became muted. He curled a fist around himself and began to pump slowly, his eyes locked on Zelda. Idly, he wished she would massage one of her tits or something.

She stared at herself in her dressing mirror for a moment, her light blue eyes neutral, and then grabbed a robe that lay on the back of a chair and headed towards the bathroom door. Vaati hesitated, then snapped his fingers just as the door clicked shut. A round black sphere with fluttering bat wings appeared and a single gold-rimmed eye opened in the sphere, its pupil the exact shade of ruby-red as Vaati's.

_Hello Junior,_ Vaati said telepathically. Junior's single iris moved from Vaati's face, downward, and then quickly back up again. It blinked rapidly. Never before had it had been summoned in such an awkward situation. Vaati took a deep breath and then blew at it. His breath misted the minion until it was invisible too.

_Go out the window and to the Princess's bathroom._ It flitted out the open window and flew around the tower. Once it was in front of the window, it waited until Zelda's back was turned and then nudged the window open and flew up into a corner. Vaati then took complete control of it and watched Zelda through the invisible bat-winged eyeball.

She had just stepped into a steaming bath and sank down with a sigh of such pleasure Vaati could have mistaken it for a sexual moan. She began lathering herself down with a pink bar of soap and the suds trailed down slowly all over her body. Vaati groaned as he jerked himself off, imagining her spread out under him, splattered with his seed. His member throbbed under his long fingers and he gripped it tight.

Zelda sat up slowly in the bathtub, water streaming from her hair, which had now turned dark gold. Vaati found himself transfixed by the utter beauty of the curve of her neck. Zelda reached down and ran a hand from her ankle, up her calf, over her knee to massage her thigh. He imagined it was his hands touching her, running themselves all over her slick body.

His hands became his tongue and his cock got even harder as he imagined licking up and down her luscious form. Zelda would be surprised and shy, then her lashes would flutter as he reached her slit. He imagined licking it and Zelda's pretty mouth opening in small, ecstatic moans.

A real moan interrupted his momentary lapse in voyeurism and he immediately re-focused through his magical spytool. Zelda had laid back again, eyes closed and her hands were kneading the muscles in her thighs. Not as ideal as tits, perhaps, but the look of agonized bliss on her face was more than worth it.

A thrill went through him. Here he was, jerking himself off to the princess as she massaged herself, all while lying on her very own bed! Forget breaking off the engagement. Zelda would kill him. Vaati felt himself grin and began to stroke faster.

Finally, the engorged cock in his fist began to spasm and Vaati grabbed the panties he had shoved in his pocket and cupped his tip with them. Vaati groaned, thinking about the ripe pussy they usually covered and his seed spurted out, hot and thick into the silk.

He closed his eyes and felt himself melt bonelessly back into the rumpled bedsheets. Din, that was good. He was going to have to take a couple minutes to recover.

After a few moments of panting, he checked in with Junior again. The princess was still bathing herself, unaware that she had just been jacked off to. Vaati traced the curve of her face with his fingers, then snapped them and both he, Junior, and the panties vanished.

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"Zelda!" The princess turned around and smiled when she saw the Zora Princess coming towards her.

"Oh, hi Ruto. What is it?"

"Nabooru told me she received a group of workers this morning," Ruto said. "She wanted to thank you for sending them."

"What?" Zelda said blankly. "I didn't send them."

"You are the only one who could," Ruto said, equally surprised. "Well, I guess you and the wind mage."

Zelda sighed inwardly as she realized Nabooru was rubbing off on people. "Vaati?"

The Zora shrugged. "He _does_ tend to work when he thinks no one's looking."

"Especially when I'm not," Zelda agreed, walking with the other princess down the road to the market.

She didn't know how right she was.

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Reviews are lasagne. Feed me.


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